The Wise One

The Wise One (ワイズマン Wiseman), a large, spherical, boulder-like entity with one single eye as his only organic feature, is the being that influences the majority of the events in the Golden Sun series. In-game, The Wise One is referred to as the Guardian of Vale and a god. The Wise One had initially laid dormant within Sol Sanctum, in Mt. Aleph. Based on his actions at the beginning of Golden Sun and at the end of The Lost Age, the Wise One’s motives and purpose are only somewhat apparent. Alchemy was sealed away within Mt. Aleph in the ancient past to save the world from the destruction brought about by Alchemy’s abuse as a military weapon. The Wise One acts as the guardian of Alchemy’s seal. When Weyard’s inhabitants attempted to bring back Alchemy, The Wise One awoke and took a number of complex, subtle steps to ensure that they would never be successful. To be successful, they would require the resolve, conviction, and virtues to prevent history from repeating itself. He would test the resolve of whoever removed the Elemental Stars from their pedestals to ensure that that individual would have the capacity to protect the world at all costs. The Encyclopedia mentions that The Wise one is actually artificial, created by group of powerful adepts long ago to protect Alchemy's Seal. It was also referred to as the Philosopher's Stone.

Spoiler warning:The following section(s) contain plot and/or ending details that some people may not wish to learn before reaching this point in the game on their own. If this applies to you, take caution while reading this section (if you choose to read it at all).

When Saturos’s band forces Isaac to take all four of the Elemental Stars from their pedastals, the Sanctum appeared to be collapsing from their absence. In their haste, they leave Isaac and Garet with the Mars Star to confront them later. The Wise One appears before the two of them, musing about the events that have come to pass is the individual he had hoped for in this case. The Wise One explains to Isaac about the nature of Alchemy, stating that it is a destructive force that is better left sealed, and tasks Isaac on a quest to prevent Alchemy’s return. He prevents the lava in the Sanctum from destroy it long enough for Isaac and Garet to escape unharmed, but appears to have done something to Isaac and the Mars Star before they leave.

The Wise One is absent for much of the story until the party arrives at the Mars Lighthouse, after the other three have been lit. The party learns from Hama that a powerful force was acting to prevent Agatio and Karst from going further up the Lighthouse. This force is revealed to be the Wise One, who determined that the pair lack the will and virtue necessary to complete the climb and turns them into Flame Dragons.

The Adepts encounter the Wise One at the Mars Lighthouse aerie, who stands in their way of their objective.

When Isaac's party makes it to the top, the Wise One appears in shadow until Isaac and Garet call out to him. When Kraden asked how Isaac is on a name- to- name basis with the Wise One, Isaac and Garet explained how the Wise One halted the flow of magma in Sol Sanctum so the two could escape safely and do his works. Piers and Kraden respond that anyone with that kind of power is more like a god. The Wise One admonishes Isaac for disobeying his command to stop Felix and Saturos, saying that Prox had committed an unforgivable sin. However, when the party reveals what they had learned over their journey, about the eventual end of the world, the Wise One's tone changes, and tells them that they had learned too much.

The party further states that it was up to them and the Wise One to prevent any further misuse of alchemy. The Wise One simply replies that he cannot interfere with man, but as Felix attempted to cast in the Mars Star, the Wise One starts to glow with Psynergy, explaining that while he cannot interfere directly, if some "miracle" would just happen to appear and stop them, then so be it, and summons the Doom Dragon. Unbeknownst to Isaac and Felix, the Wise One had lured their parents of Isaac away from the nearby town of Prox and subdued them, transforming them into the three-headed Doom Dragon in much the same way he did the other two Mars Adepts. The monster is defeated and despite the realization of what they have done, their resolve stays firm and Felix finally casts the Mars Star into the Lighthouse. The energy let loose by Alchemy’s return floods into the parents and revives them all, by which point Kraden realized that the Wise One had tested them; if Isaac and Garet would fail his instructions, the Wise One tested the party's resolve to ensure that the heroes were willing to do whatever it took to keep the world safe.

Soon, as the Golden Sun forms, the Wise One alerts everyone in Vale and the four Lighthouses to the impending danger by communicating to them in their dreams. This proves Hama's contention that the Wise One has a caring heart; essentially, the Wise One elevates his stoic image once he finds the heroes necessary for Weyard’s well-being. When the Golden Sun finally forms above Mt. Aleph with Alex there to claim its power, The Wise One appears before Alex, who was perplexed as to why he did not have almighty power. The Wise One then reveals that back at the Sanctum, he performed a measure that caused a fourth of the Sun’s power to enter Isaac’s body, preventing the Sun's full power from being obtained. Enraged, Alex assaults the Wise One with his newfound Psynergy, only for the Wise One overpowering Alex effortlessly, crippling him. The Wise One then departs, leaving Alex to sink along with the crumbling Mt. Aleph.

The Wise One does not appear in Dark Dawn, however, he is mentioned. In the game's opening sequences, Isaac is seen praying to the Wise One to help Weyard after the Golden Sun event. It is also revealed that the Wise One is a Philosopher's Stone, a creature "forged through Alchemy". The Wise One's encyclopedia entry is as follows:

"This absolute being looks like a floating boulder with one central eye. He watches over Weyard and holds unimaginable power. The Wise One is now known to be what the ancients called a Philosopher's Stone, a creature they forged through Alchemy."

Statues of the Wise One are present throughout the game, and may be used to fully heal the entire party's HP and PP, as well as remove any stat disadvantages and play will resume at them if the entire party is downed. These statues exist to prevent returning from beyond points of no-return by dying.

According to Isaac, the Wise One may be in danger as a certain someone bears an absolute hatred of it for an unknown reason, and that's the reason why he could not leave the Lookout Cabin. However, this is not further developed in the game.

The Wise One is one of the only characters in the Golden Sun series that cannot ever have Mind Read used on it, even when hacking the move onto a party member.

Strangely, it is one of the most important NPCs in the game, yet it does not have its own portrait.

When the Wise One states that it "cannot interfere with the actions of mankind", it is possible that this only extends to the people of Vale since it protects them from the volcanic eruption and, by trusting Felix to light the beacon of Mars Lighthouse, ensures that his parents and Isaac's father are revived from their injuries. By contrast, it stops Alex from destroying Vale with his newfound power by trapping him with its own Psynergy at the end of The Lost Age. Alternatively, there may be a loophole that allows it to carry out its actions, as in this particular case Alex attempted to attack the Wise One, which never happened before in the series, possibly meaning that he can at least defend himself.